Kantaro Matsunaga
Kantaro Matsunaga (勘太郎 松長, Matsunaga Kantaro) is a tokubetsu jōnin-level shinobi from Kumogakure and a unofficial samurai from the Land of Iron. Kantaro is a freelancer and carefree traveler, mostly known for his mastery of both the Issen Stance kenjutsu style and the Negame Heel taijutsu style. Kantaro also manages a large network of spies through the elemental nations, which trade military secrets throughout the world for 'making the world turn'. Lastly, he is a mercenary-for-hire and gladly accepts any mission that is for the good of his village. Background Kantaro was born in the Land of Iron, as the son of a samurai defender of a decently large city and his wife; whom was a member of the city council. Kantaro was raised to be a great mind and become a diplomat or scholar. However, the young boy was not interested in politics or peace. Instead, he seeked adrenaline and challenges, seeking to become the most powerful warrior alive or seek as many worthy opponents as he could. His parents were disapproving when he wanted to become a samurai instead of anything else. His father begrudingly taught the boy the basics of bushidō and was impressed with his progress. After turning 8, Kantaro was taken to the capital of the Land of Iron by his father and was trained in the advanced arts of bushidō by his father's master, a well-known and powerful samurai. Left by his father to train there, Kantaro slowly became a prodigy in the arts of the sword as well as learning about various other subjects. However, the young boy became bored of the lack of action and wanted something more exciting. The boy's master took notice of the boy's boredom, and saw that deeper within him, something more sinister was planted and slowly festering. After he turned 10, Kantaro's growing need for action overtook him. He learned about the shinobi who lived outside the Land of Steel and their ability to manipulate the elements. Eager to learn more, he escaped the city one night and found his way to a shipyard some miles away. He boarded a ship headed to the Land of Lightning with chakra-compatible steel. Having stole a secret scroll about ninjutsu from his master, Kantaro meditated to learn to increase his chakra capacity to a level needed to learn ninjutsu. Arriving in the Land of Lightning, Kantaro was found by the sailors there and fled when they attempted to take him back home. Learning how to survive in the outside world, Kantaro roamed for a few days and seemed to be well off. After a while he ran into an old man carrying a wooden sword. Kantaro insulted the man and his weapon of choice. The old man made a wager with the boy, betting to see who could win if they sparred against one another. Kantaro agreed and was cocky of his abilities, but was easily floored by the man. For losing the wager, Kantaro became the man's retainer. However, the man saw the strange darkness within the boy and wanted him to become more than just a scoundrel. During the day, the boy would guide the man throughout towns and run errands. During the night, he was taught the powerful defensive kenjutsu style, the Issen Stance. After a year of travelling and training, the old man and Kantaro arrived in Kumogakure. After the old man discussed how he came across the boy with the Raikage, Kantaro was granted citizenship if he proved himself useful. The old man granted Kantaro his freedom, but gave him one final task: to join the Kumo ninja academy and further his training. Kantaro, who grew to idolize and respect the old man, was determined to carry out his duty. Before parting, the old man gave Kantaro his wooden sword and made the boy vow to become a better Issen master than he was someday. Joining in the ninja academy, Kantaro's need for action was sated for the while. Everyday, he would learn about the ways of shinobi while he trained in bushidō and the Issen Stance at night. While he excelled in his kenjutsu and was alright in ninjutsu and genjutsu, Kantaro's taijutsu was poor. The village council caught onto this and wondered what they could do to improve him, as they would not allow him to become a shinobi with poor physical skill. The Negame clan secretly decided to train the boy to increase his power. During his kenjutsu training at night, a Negame clan regularly arrived to teach him in both basic karate as well as their legendary Negame Heel style. He eventually graduated in the higher median of the class and was placed on a genin squad with a jōnin sensei. As he completed missions and ascended the ranks, Kantaro became known through the village as a young prodigy. He continued his kenjutsu and taijutsu training as well as training in his elemental affinity of lightning and picked up on Earth Release as well. He became known as "Kantaro of the Wooden Blade", after managing to defeat an A-rank missing-nin with a wooden bokken after his primary sword was lost in the fight. Adopting his new moniker, he often used his wooden sword to beat his opponents into submission and only used his steel sword when situations were dire. He was also notorious for blending his kenjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu into powerful combos that could catch his superiors off guard. A couple of years after becoming a tokubetsu jōnin, Kantaro's hidden hunger for excitement reawakened. Bored with the world and the lack of action, he decided to mix things up a bit. At first, he would simply train and spar with the higher-ranking ninja in Kumo, but he became more ambitious. His ambition reached a peak when he went unsanctioned to a mercanary's hideout full of missing-nin and proceeded to arrest them all. This action seemed to alarm the Raikage, yet interest him as well. The Raikage set up a meeting with Kantaro one night, giving him a long-term S-ranked mission. Kantaro was tasked with finding information on Kumo's enemies and the positions of the other Hidden Villages. All the while, he would play the guise of a missing-nin. Kantaro left the village afterward, since he would be marked for death. To progress in his plans, Kantaro founded a group of mercanaries and gained their trust. With his newfound comrades, he created a spy network that would span across the many settlements of the world. His hunger for action hard to ignore, he would then sell any military secrets he or his comrades found for top dollar. He also trained himself to become stronger in order to defeat any strong opponent that stood in his way. As his network of mercenaries and spies became more powerful, he was forced to spread out and become more covert. After a while, knowing that it was time to return to his roots, Kantaro arrived in the Land of Iron. His parents were relieved to see that he was alive, seeing their son grow up into a strong man. His father, however, was enraged when he found out that his son mostly tossed his way of the samurai to become a shinobi. Kantaro explained to him the situation, but his father was blinded by rage. He was quickly attacked by his father, and instantly cut him down with an Issen counterattack. Kantaro was branded a traitor by his father and fled from the Land of Iron. At that moment, Kantaro became a criminal and became lost. During his period of confusion, Kantaro wondered what his path in life was supposed to be. He was born to become a diplomat, only to become a samurai, a shinobi, a hero, then finally a criminal. Then remembered the people who believed in him and made him the person he was. He finally remembered his mission the Raikage gave him and knew his path in life again. His lust for action was reborn, and he took on his most dangerous challenge yet: to infiltrate the Akatsuki and destroy them from the inside out. Knowing that he lacked the physical power to be in the Akatsuki, he turned to his spy network and mercenaries to supply him with top secrets and missions. To further fuel his newfound goal, he became a mercenary to rebuild his reputation and eventually be recruited by the Akatsuki. Slowly inside him though, the darkness which grew begun to spread. Personality Kantaro is mostly a quiet and well-reserved person, only talking when the need arises. He is also pretty wise for his age, knowledged of many things at an early age. This knowledge enables him to make well-fortified decisions during the most dire of moments. Outside his calm and collected attitude, Kantaro is a very lively and outgoing person. He loves excitement and staying on his toes. Even against situations that would break most shinobi, Kantaro stands tall, eager to try his hand. Even if he seems cocky on the outside, Kantaro never underestimates his opponents and takes in account their abilities and weaknesses in battle. If things are too boring for his tastes, he will either quickly move to another area or become lathargic and somewhat childish. In battle, he is more collected and calculating individual, though his excitedness rules this state as well. Against more powerful opponents, he remains excited, but retains a more professional and serious air about him. Kantaro has a very comdical and goofy attitude, which further leads his opponents to underestimate him. He loves to tell jokes and poke fun at others and himself, despite his age and experience as a shinobi. He retains a carefree and very optimistic approach to many situations. It is well known to those that know him that he keeps the atmosphere around him positive. He has a habit of chuckling for a few seconds speaking, and it can occur at random. Though many see it as a farce or a tactic, Kantaro's love for action fuels this friendly and bubbly attitude, even against certain opponents. The only time his lightheartedness isn't present is when he is too bored, depressed, serious, or during very intense battle. It is revealed that despite living a somewhat normal life, there is a more dark and sinister side to Kantaro. At first, it was a noticeable, yet dormant presence in his heart. It was seemingly unsealed after an ill-fated run-in with Tenkyou, which was known to instill demonic feelings in a subject. It was first revealed when he cut down his father with one slash, without a second thought that he was fighting his own father. When his darker side takes over, Kantaro is much more quiet and serious, yet his love for excitement is replaced with a need to take down whoever angered him. In his darker state, Kantaro is much more brutal, attacking his opponents until they either relent, are too injured to keep fighting, or die. He also seems to attack anyone within his range, unless his relationship with a person is too powerful and it overcomes his muderous impulses. Despite the increase in power in this state, Kantaro refuses to utilize it voluntarily, and tries to control his emotions and fight using his own power. It is also revealed that Kantaro loves learning about warfare, as it's a view onto past battles and gives him ways to create alternate strategies. He continually sells info about military plans to other powers, though he never trades any information about Kumo or the Land of Iron. He continually trains for the day that Kumo would need him for war, saying that it would be one of the most exciting times in his entire life. Appearance Kantaro is a tall man with decently-sized muscles and an average build. He has a light tan which compliments the color of his hair. He has spiky black hair and dark brown eyes that can change shades due to the lighting. His face is slightly angular and he has a slash scar on the left of his jaw, a result of a mission long ago. He wears a blue and black shirt with a silver and gold triangular shoulder guard on his right shoulder, black zipped-up undershirt, blue and black shorts with a tool holster on his left thigh, and black ninja sandals. He is rarely seen without a wooden sword called Shihara and a chakra-reinforced steel katana known as Tsurugi. Tsurugi is usually sheathed in a holster behind him while Shihara is stored in a scroll attached to his left shirt sleeve. Abilities Kantaro is a powerful shinobi and samurai, capable of using abilities from both warrior classes. He becomes one of the most powerful Kumogakure shinobi during his time there, becoming a high A-rank shinobi in some countries and a low S-rank shinobi in others. When he combines his skill as a ninja and a samurai, he is capable of creating attacks and combinations that could defeat even those who are considered stronger than him. He eventually reaches a level where he can take on three S-rank shinobi at once and stand his ground. Taijutsu As his first phase of attack, Kantaro is a proficient user of taijustu. As a hand-to-hand combatant, he is able to attack, block, and counter attack with very good reaction time. During less serious battles, he fights using traditional karate mixed in with judo. With this style, he attacks in a concentrated manner, attempting to attack tendons, joints, and muscles as well as perform grapples. He is more defensive with this style, keeping a safe distance and striking when necessary. When battles become more serious, he falls back on the more destructive and agile Negame Heel style. Using the Negame Heel, Kantaro is more on the offensive now, dealing concussive strikes with his feet that break bones and tears tendons and muscles. With the Negame Heel, his speed increases as he utilizes various kicks to sweep up, knock back, and slam opponents. Combined with Earth Release, he can also launch earth-based attacks that decimate the enemy and landscape. This style is mostly used when he has one hand on his sword's hilt, leaving punches less effective. Kantaro is strong shinobi, capable of powerful kicks that can crack or tear through trees. He's also capable of carrying or stopping heavy weights with his legs or arms. He is strong enough to stop a large boulder with his own feet and throw it back without much worry. His also very durable, capable of meeting the harsh requirements of Negame Heel and taking on powerful attacks and keep fighting. His reflexes are finely tuned, enabling him to dodge attacks on the fly, making very capable of utilizing the Issen Stance. Kantaro is incredibly fast as well. Even as a child, he exhibited the speed needed to attack through short windows of time and defend himself within a split-second. As well as being able to dodge attacks from point-blank range, he is able to cover vast distances during short periods of time than others. Rather than use the Body Flicker Technique, he depends on the more offensive and slightly faster Flash Flicker Technique. Despite it being more draining than the Body Flicker, Kantaro can use the Flash Flicker to overwhelm opponents with a hail of punches and kicks that seem to never end. Kenjutsu As a samurai and sword enthusiast, Kantaro is a powerful user of kenjutsu. Due to training and being taught by two kenjutsu masters, Kantaro's skill with a blade makes him a jonin-level swordsman. Just like his taijutsu preferrences, he has two kenjutsu styles depending on the heat of battle. In less threatening struggles, Kantaro fights with classic būshido techniques along with Iaidō. His speed puts him on par with many well-trained samurai, enabling him to attack his opponents while they are weaving hand signals to make ninjutsu useless. His quick strikes are also trained to aim for tendons, vital muscles, and blood vessels to cripple the opponent before landing a final blow. Kantaro has such a skill with kenjutsu, he can easily fight and defeat opponents with a black bokken given to him by his Issen master which he calls Shihara. It is said that he took on an A-rank shinobi once using only Shihara, in a battle that scarred the mountains they were fighting in. In the end, the shinobi was defeated and due to the Samurai Sabre Technique, Shihara was completely unharmed, giving Kantaro of "Wooden Blade Kantaro". However, when the need arises, Kantaro utilizes the defensive Issen Stance. With this style, Kantaro uses his excellent reflexes to block and dodge enemy blows and use the window of time to counterattack with accurate results. As a master of Issen, he also hosts a plethora of attacks that increase the kenjutsu style's potency, such as creating a stream of chakra while moving to further damage slashes, unleashing a powerful burst of chakra, and blinding foes with a sudden blast of light. Along with the Negame Heel in tandem, Kantaro can attack, defend, and counterattack in an almost flawless fashion. Kantaro is one of the few Issen practioners that can utilize Issen: Exploding Torrent, where he gathers as much chakra as he can over time and unleashes it in a single, concentrated burst that can tear into the ground and decimate many enemies. He only uses such a powerful technique when in dire need however, due to its destructive capacity and immense chakra requirement. Ninjutsu Summoning Technique As a shinobi of Kumogakure and moreso a honorary member of the Negame clan, Kantaro is able to summon large komodo dragons. His summoning partner, Toshikawa, is a well-rounded summoning capable of having many uses. First, his size and hard body is suitable for blocking attacks and dealing his own destructive ones. Next, his tongue is great for sensory purposes, capable of picking up scents, body heat, and chakra levels. His claws are sharp and curved, good for close-quarters combat. He is also able to use Fire and Water Release techniques, great for solo attacks or collaboration techniques. Lastly, his teeth is coated in saliva that is very toxic, and can spray it forward in a single blast and can his salvia along with Kantaro's sword Nature Transformation Kantaro has an affinity to Lightning Release techniques, which suits his way of battle perfectly. With Lightning Release, Kantaro is able to use swift, jolting attacks that cripple or decimate his enemies in a focused strike or in a more branching pattern. His skill with Lightning Release allows him to integrate the lightning chakra into his taijutsu and kenjutsu. He can channel lightning chakra into his sword or other weapons to give them a electrocuting or numbing effect or to extend their range. He can even release a a crescent-shaped blast of lightning that can cut through opponents and can send electric discharges to nearby objects. Kantaro can also utilize Earth Release techniques. Despite being not as quick as Lightning Release, he is quite proficient at it as well. Using it, he can create defenses that can be instantly exploited by his Lightning Release techniques. Utilizing it with his taijutsu, he can manipulate the ground below him and others to deal great damage or strength the effects of his blows. He can also create a great, gaping chasm that can snap shut and can create earth projectiles that can shoot off his sword can pierce wood and stone. Other Skills Kantaro has a host of other skills and talents that benefit him. For example, he is a master of espionage, capable of hiding himself for safety and surveillance purposes to compensate for his limited skill for genjutsu. He has a great persuasive talent, enabling him to rally almost anyone within his group of mercenaries to whatever cause he has. Due to reading about past wars and constant preparation, Kantaro can create strategies to face various opponents, even when they have advantages over him. Finally, he is capable of forging and mending swords and other bladed weapons. He constantly experiments with his own sword to increase its strength and cutting ability. Stats Roleplay Appearances Trivia